Vehicle Accident Jurisdiction

by Kenneth
(Portland, Oregon)

I was driving north on I-5, near Seattle, WA. I was traveling in the lane next to the HOV lane. The other driver was apparently exiting the freeway, then changed his mind, and re-entered the freeway. He lost control of his vehicle, and he came across 3 lanes of traffic and broadsided my class-B(van)RV on the passenger side.

He hit several times, tipping the motorhome over onto the driver's side; then the motorhome slid across all lanes of traffic and banged head-on into the guardrail on outside edge of freeway.

I am an Oregon resident, and the accident occured in Seattle, Washington. If I need to hire an attorney, does it need to be one in the area of the accident? Or can an attorney from Oregon handle it for me?

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NOTICE: Any answer given here is NOT formal legal advice, it is general information about personal injury law. Charles does not represent you. If you submit a question, you agree not to rely on the information given without first consulting an attorney licensed in your state.

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Answer:

The answer is - it depends. The other driver has not availed himself to the jurisdiction of Washington and therefore, to bring a lawsuit in Washington, you would not be able to obtain jurisdiction over him/her.

If, however, the other driver also lives in Washington (I know it's a longshot), then you can bring a lawsuit there. Assuming s/he does not live in Washington, you would need to bring a lawsuit in Oregon.

Good luck,

Charles
New York Accident Attorney

P.S. We strongly advise you to get a free case review from a local injury attorney. Laws change from state to state. Only an attorney licensed in your state can give accurate answers to your specific questions.